Marie's Memories
by Marie Nightfang
Summary: Marie-Ann Elizabeth Rose Woods thought she had lost everything...but did she really lose everything, or gain something even better? Undergoing Revision, will have the same title/genre
1. Prologue

Marie's Memories

Prologue

_**W…Where am I?**_ I wonder as I slip back into consciousness. _**Man…why does my head hurt so much? No…no…not again!**_ I scream as my memories crash back into my mind. I see my arms and legs pumping as I run through a forest sort of like the one on Canada…back at my childhood home. I could smell the harsh scent of machinery mixed with the blood running down my face from the scratches I was receiving from the branches of the trees as I ran past. I could hear the shouts of "Dr." Londo, some of them directed to me, trying to get me to come back to his lab, and most of the angry shouts to the machines, yelling at them to find me and bring me back alive, and if they couldn't capture me, to kill me. Hearing that, I sped up, increasing the distance between myself and the insane male. I tasted the sweat, mixed with the blood running down my face. I felt the blow from one of the bots that had snuck up on me, pop out my claws, and slash them, pressing my ears against my head as I heard the harsh screech metal met metal. Another bot came at me and punched me on the back of my head, stunning me. I felt the tazer zap my spine, and I crumpled, shrieking in pain. I felt the tranquilizer and the pain from the electricity ebbed. The last thing I remember is the horrible, gut-wrenching pain in my chest, and I remember what Londo had told me before I fled.

"_I'm sorry, Marine. There was nothing you could do. He died instantly._" _**Brin**__**. Why? Why did he leave me and…where the hell am I?**_ I wonder again as my memories leave. I notice that my breathing was fast and rapid, so I slowly let it fade to the rhythm that humans have when they are sleeping. I open my eyes to a slit so the harsh, fluorescent light streams into them and take in my surroundings. I see the white-washed walls and cabinets, and I see the tray next to the cot I was lying on. The tray was littered with medical instruments, some of them blood-stained. But what catches my vision is the soft, black fur I see that's where humanoid people have skin. _**I don't remember morphing…**_ Then I hear someone shift their weight slightly, causing the fabric of their loose shirt (_**?**_) to slide against their body. My emerald orbs open fully as my head snaps up to look at the man standing next to the bed I'm lying down on. _**Yep. It was his shirt. Dang, my hearing shouldn't be this acute, even in wolf form…**_ There was a brief flash of pain in the back of my neck, and I unconsciously bare my fangs and growl deep in my throat as I got a better look at the guy who's just standing there, **smiling** down at me.

"Londo." My voice is gruff and hoarse, like it sounds when you haven't spoken in a while.

"Shouldn't you be addressing my as Dr?" he asked, mockingly.

"You don't deserve the title," I growled, fighting back a flash of déjà vu.

"Oh? And yet I have healed you, made you complete," he said smugly.

"What do you mean?"

"I have healed you, yes?"

"Yes," I answered, though in my mind I was thinking, _**my physical wounds anyway, my heart has been broken one time too many, now it's broken beyond repair.**_

"And I have made you whole, by bringing out a form you have forgotten."

_**I didn't forget it…I just didn't fully embrace it.**_

"Your true, mutant form," he continued, oblivious to my Inner. "Which you have hidden for so long… Marie-Ann Elizabeth Rose Woods."

_**This is what you think my true form looks like?**_ I ask, incredulously in my head, while out loud I really say, "How do you know my real name?" in a dangerously low voice.

"It's all in your head," he replied, smirking.

"You've seen my memories?" I asked cautiously, while inside I was panicking. _**How far did he get? How much does he-**_

"As far as when you started working in the bar, before that your memories are…fuzzy, I suppose the word is, like you don't want to remember. A few after you met Brin, but I just think you've found a way to block me, since your mind just goes blank."

I flinched at _his_ name. _**No wonder he thinks this is my true form, he hasn't seen…no! Don't think about it! And he's wrong about that…as much as I hate the memories, it's much better to remember than to be oblivious to what **__**happened**__**. At least my secret's safe.**_ My Inner was babbling, but I ignored it.

I try to get up, and found I couldn't. There were bands around my wrists, ankles, and one around my waist. For some reason, this comforted me; I now knew that he was at least **wary** of my…abilities…

"How long have I been here?" I ask.

"A week," he replied, grinning down at me evilly. I feel something start to rise in my gut, but I ignore it.

"I want to get out," I say, feeling like a caged animal, _**but in his mind I probably am.**_

He chuckled, a low, mean sound then said, "Of course you do, your new, reborn self wants to kill me, and then run away. That _**is**_ the instinct of the wolf, to fight, or flee, is it not?"

"It is." Even though he didn't realize, or maybe he did, I was answering both his question and his statement. Then something in my gut made a sharp yank, like it was answering too. I feel another, though this time it was harder, and I feel a rage I thought I had obliterated rise up out of my chest and scream at me to tear his damn throat out. I erupted into what _I_ had thought of when he said he had brought out my true mutant form. Unfortunately for him, he was right. I grew to around 8 feet tall standing on my hind legs, and 6 feet 5 inches when on four paws. My nails grew longer and pointed, turning into nature's natural claws. My fur grew longer, turning coarse and ragged. While my eyes had spread a bit closer to the sides of my face and turned a golden yellow color of a rabid wolf's, my ears grew bigger with pointed tips and traveled up to the top of my enlarged and elongated head and muzzle. Speaking of my muzzle, my teeth grew longer, sharper, and my breath probably smelled foul to a human, but to me it smelled like, well, my breath. My already enhanced senses sharpened to a thousand fold of what they were before. Meaning, I could see the separate woven cotton fibers that made his shirt; I could smell the sweat and fear that rolled off him in waves as well as the hospital-like smell of the instruments lying on a tray on the small table next to the cot; I could feel the rough fibers of the mattress on my fur and the slick, metal feel of the bands that held me down; I could taste the highly powerful doses of anesthetic still lingering on my tongue from the large doses I needed to be kept unconscious for a whole week; and I could hear every single, separate beat of the blood pounding in through his heart and veins. The bestial part of me broke the bands holding my wrists, ankles, and clawed the ones holding my waist and neck in place in half, leapt off the cot and tried to slash his jugular vein with my claws. Mar dodged with a semi-second to spare, and as I spun around, I watched the hot, thick, red, lifeblood flow down his arm. As the smell hit me I thought, _**why not kill him? He's just gunna make my life hell if he ever catches up to me…he sure ain't gunna be missed by anybody.**_ The thought of Mar not having anybody left as his kin, led to thoughts of Him, and that led to thoughts of what He'd say if He where here. It was the thought of me showing what I was really like to Him, after He'd trusted me so completely, even after He found out I was a shape-changer, that caused the red haze that had developed over my mind and sight to fade. As I realized what he was trying to do, I shoved the beast back into the 'cage' in the darkest part of my mind, raced out of Londo's lab, and into the forest He had shown me all the times I had come here when He was alive.

* * *

MN- I left a lot of loose ends in there...

Marie- Yeah, you did that on purpose, didn't you?

MN- Well, yeah...it's a Prologue...you're supposed to leave loose ends.

Marie- I knew that! And...Nightfang-sama...aren't you forgetting something?

MN- Ano...I can't think of anything...

Marie- *Sigh...* I'll do it...Marie Nightfang does not own Legion of Superheroes, DC, rightfully does...otherwise Mar would be dead, right...?

MN- Eto...actually...

Marie- *Pops out claws*

MN- *Gulp* Well, before Marie kills me, and ruins my story, this is Marie Nightfang, signing off!


	2. Chapter 1

Marie's Memories

Chapter One

**Begin Flashback-**

_**Where am I?**_ I wondered as I stepped further into the darkness near the edge of the alley I had teleported to. I looked into the busy streets, full of hovercrafts zooming around, street vendors selling who-knows-what, and crowds of tourists being led around like cattle. As an alieniod couple passed I jerk as I hear part of their conversation:

"Hey, where do you want to go?" the girl alien asked her date.

"How about the one Superman museum they have here? The one here in New Metropolis is the only one surviving the destruction of all the Superman Museums in the United Planets, right? Probably because the Legion's Headquarters are here…"

I let their conversation melt into the background of the clamor of the daily sounds of a large city, losing intrest now I'd figured out where I'd teleported to. _**New Metropolis? Dang, the dude who sold me this thing sure was right 'bout one thing. This little ring did take me far away from Canada. New Earth's five whole planets away from home!**_ I felt a stab of pain when I thought about my old home. I couldn't ever go back there. _**It's all his fault! If he hadn't…whatever. What's done is done, no matter how much I hate it. I'd better find a bar to work in, more people'll talk if they're drunk. I need to see if the Science Police will look this far away from home.**_ So I wander into the bar which was coincidently right next to the alley I'd teleported to, past grubby tables and drunk customers to the bathroom. I walk over to a mirror to see my reflection. I look around 20 or 21, and my hair is midnight black with what used to be my natural hair color residing in the auburn bang on the right side of my face and is shorter than the rest of my middle-back-area-length hair, since it came to just below my face. My eyes look like a forest, with all the different shades of green in them, but turn into a wolf's gold around my slightly slit pupils. I'm wearing a pair of dark navy blue jeans that have rips at the knees and are tattered at the bottom and a red and black graphic tee. My black, leather and metal-toed combat boots have a bit of heel so that I'm actually closer to 6 feet than my regular 5 feet 5 inches. _**Lucky for me the sign out from said 'Help Wanted.'**_

After I put my long hair into a sloppy ponytail, I got a job after the owner of the bar made sure that I could make a beer and deal with total ass-holes without losing my temper with them, which was really hard. I started making beers, giving them to the customers and then cleaning up the tables if they had been total slobs after they left.

Plus, after a few threats and flirting, I find out that the Science Police haven't looked here, but New Earth is well aware of the 'tragedy' of the Woods family.

Then he walks in with a couple of Spartan boys and plops right down behind me at the bar.

"How old are ya?" I ask in a bored tone without turning my head in his direction.

"Nineteen," his voice sounded confident and very cocky.

"Out."

"But I'm turning twenty tomorrow," he protested.

I turned around to talk to him. He was kinda cute with his (sort of) longish black hair and chocolate brown eyes… "Well, then you're gunna have to wait outside till 12:00, or you can go somewhere else, or you could order something besides alcohol. 'Cause if I let you get a drink when you're underage, then everybody'd wanna have a drink who's underage, and I'd get fired. And you wouldn't want to get me fired now, would ja?" I ask, leaning down with my arms clasped and looking straight into his eyes, with my bang, which would **not** stay in the stupid ponytail, covering part of my eye. As I spoke, I could feel my canines getting longer. His eyes widened, whether because I was leaning down on the bar counter and my shirt was kinda loose, or 'cause of my elongated canines I don't know, but as they returned to normal length, I kept staring at his warm, brown eyes. Surprisingly, I was the first one to look away. I straightened up and turned back around, pretending to be occupied with cleaning some glasses as my roots flamed a hot pink. His next words of course, ticked me off.

"Fine, I'll take a Number Five."

I whirled back around, and practically snarled at him, "Out. I ain't gunna play no games, _boy_," putting an emphasis on the word 'boy'.

I could swear his chest puffed out, and he said, "And you'll do what if I don't?"

I grabbed his shirt, hauled him towards the window, threw him out of it, not really caring whether he'd cut himself or not, and glared at his "friends" who, might I add, had made no move to help him. They practically ran out the door, without any drinks for themselves.

"Males," I sigh under my breath. "And yes, you can take that outta my paycheck!" I shout to my boss who had stuck his head out from his office ready to yell at the source of the disturbance. _**He's got a nice ride, though. Oh, I hate my conscious, it always makes stupid remarks that tic me off, but are true.**_

A Week Later:

The guy came in regularly every day this week. On Monday, when he came in, he had bandages on his upper arms, neck, and face. I felt a twinge of guilt, but I pushed it away. Thankfully, after two more days, the bandages disappeared, and I didn't have to worry about a guilty conscious. _**Wait, what guilty conscious?**_ Even before the bandages came off, he'd walk in, sit down in the same bar stool with a smirk on his face, just drinking a glass of water. I came to look forward to when he'd show and just sit there, watching me work. Once, he even corrected me on an order! _**Dang, is he memorizing what I put in the drinks, or is he just watching my hands and memorizing where I put them for each drink? **_I thanked him, and he actually started a conversation with me for the first time since I'd thrown him out the window.

"Now can I have a Number Five?" he asked cautiously.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn ya if ya go home complainin' ta daddy 'bout a stomach ache," I say with a smile.

He glared at me good naturally and, with a smug grin, took a huge swig of his beer.

"Huh, tastes good, better than dad's anyway." He chuckled.

"What's your name? You've come here for an entire week, and I haven't even asked it." I saw another grin cross his face and I could see that he was pleased to know that I'd paid attention to him being there.

"Brin. Brin Londo."

"Marine," I offer, seeing he was about to ask me mine.

"How old are you, Marine?"

"Twenty-one," I answer grudgingly, while in my head I think, _**I'm seventeen.**_

"Really you look seventeen." I felt myself flinch, but cover it up with, "Tch, yeah right."

"You do." An awkward pause follows. I hate those. "When do you get off work, Marine?" he asks.

"'Round four, four-thirty, why?" I ask, already guessing the answer.

"Would you consider me giving you a tour of the planet? You seem kinda… new around here. Plus, I'd like you to know me better than what I acted like last week, my dad was just being an jerk."

_**Oh, boo hoo. Well, he **__**is**__** acting like a gentleman…and da always said to know at least one or two…and he **__**has**__** come here every day this week, even after I threw him out the window…what's a little date gunna do? Kill us both?**_ I flinch a little inwardly at my own irony, and say, "Maybe," wanting to see if he'd keep asking.

"Aww, come on, I'm not that bad, I don't bite."

"Fine," I sighed, seeing he wouldn't give up.

Later on in the evening:

As I was just finishing letting my hair down, I hear a car honk, and I walk to the window of my room. _**Huh. So he did show.**_ I grabbed my boots with the heels that he'd seen me in the first time he'd met me, yelled, "I'm off!" to my boss, as he stuck his head out from the hallway leading to my room in the huge attic (it was nice, even if it was an attic) and his room near the entryway to the bar area, and yelled after me,

"Have fun!" and smiled at me knowingly. He reminded me of Daniel, so I didn't do anything major, I just raised my hand, flicked him off, then waved on my way out, listening to his chuckles.

As I walked out the door of the bar Brin got out the hovercraft, walked me to the car, opened the door for me on the passenger side of the hovercraft, and got in himself.

"So, this your da's?" I asked.

He turned to me and said, "Nah, I don't know who's it is," with a sparkle in his eye and a cocky smile that I was really starting to like.

"You stole it?" I asked, impressed. _**This doesn't look like the kinda car that you'd have an easy time trying to steal.**_

He gasped with fake mockery, and said "Steal? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, _no_. I'm just _borrowing_ it."

I grin, and he asked, "You ever 'borrow' anything?"

"You mean the five-finger discount? Yeah, a lot. Especially when the cops're trying to put you in Takron Galtos for something you didn't do."

"I know how that is." His hand reached for the gearshift, and it brushed against mine, since I'd rested my hand on it. "Sorry," we both say, then smile.

"That was my house," he said, glancing to the left. _**That was a fast ride**_. I glance at the speedometer and think, _**well, duh, he's goin' 175. Dang, the kid can drive.**_

"Looks nice," I say as we zoom past it. Zoom, Zunn, Zunn. (Attempt at humor failing, sorry.)

"Where do you live?"

"Normally, I travel around, but for now I'm staying in the second story of the bar." He looked a little disappointed as I started, then his grin turned completely Bad Boy and mischievous.

"And I lock the doors and windows at night, I'll have you know," trying not to smile at his completely boyish thinking, also trying and failing to sound fierce, since he was making me laugh. _**Wow I haven't flirted like this in a long time. Hell, I haven't **__**felt**__** like this for a long time.**_

When he was done chuckling, he asked "Do you have any siblings? I have a brother, whom I haven't heard from in a while, and a baby sis who's never around, thank Fenrir." He grinned again at the end, so I know he was just teasing about not liking his sister.

"Yeah, I had an older brother, and a sis-in-law." I fidgeted around, not sure why I was being so honest with him, and changed topic to something I felt was less depressing. "And, you follow the wolf gods? I thought my family was the only one to do that, since we still have some Cherokee blood in us," I say, proud of my ancient Native American relatives.

"Yeah, my dad works with wolves, so I've grown up around them, and was taught a lot about them. Did you know that they're almost as smart as a human?"

"I think they're smarter than humans in some instances, and that's really cool. That your dad works with them." I say, a bit fast. There was a pause, then I curiously asked, "Will you tell me something?"

"Sure, what?"

"Why are you doing this?"

He blushed, (if boys can blush), then answered, "Because."

"Because why?" I ask, batting my eyelashes and being totally flirty. 'Totally flirty'? Whatever. Deal with it.

"Just because."

Sensing he wasn't going to tell me, I use another approach, I leaned over towards his side of the hovercar, and whispered, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

His eyes glanced over to me, and I saw them take me in. I was wearing a tight spaghetti strap red shirt, and jeans that hugged my thighs. My hair was loose and was kinda wavy and tickled his arm. Don't look at me so accusingly! I just grabbed whatever was the first thing in my closet, and that was the combo I came up with! Sheesh!

His eyes glanced at my boobs, then my face, and he said, "Yes," blushing.

I smiled when my assumption was proved correct and I leaned back into my seat like a good little girl.

"So, what does your Mom do?" I asked him, so he wouldn't feel too uncomfortable, and to veer away from the awkward topic.

"She was Raul's top environmental scientist, and she's dead," I could hear the grief in his voice, so I told him,

"Both my parents, my bro, and my sis-in-law are dead, so I won't say I'm sorry, it gets kinda annoying after a while."

He smiled through his almost tears, and said, "Yeah, it does."

"Hey, you never told me where we're going. Where are we goin'?"

"You'll see."

Right after he'd said that, the car stopped and I got out seeing a **huge** forest, the one that looks like home.

"You looked kind of claustrophobic in the bar, and even more so in the car, so I thought we could come here, that and because I like it here," he said, leaning against the hovercraft. _**He's not cute.**_ I think as the sunlight hits him and makes his midnight-black hair shine, as well as the dang grin of his that I was really starting to like. _**He's hot. And tall…**_ I noticed for the first time that he was about 6 foot even. _**And very muscular…**_ And this time I let my conscious tell me the stupid things that it was telling me.

I swing around, and hug him tightly. His arms wrapped around me and he hugged me back. As I looked into his eyes, I thought about how it'd feel to kiss him. And I could see that he was thinking that too. "Thank you, this is exactly what I needed," I heard myself say, breathless, and as I gazed into his eyes, I saw that my eyes were shinning and I realized that I felt happy with him. Happier than I'd felt in a long time. But, he didn't know about my abilities, so I stepped back a little and he let me go, gentleman that he was.

"You wanna race?" he asked, trying not to look extremely smug that I'd hugged him. Tightly…

"Sure, why not. Where to?"

"To that big oak in the center, see it?"

Yeah, I could see it. Even without my enhanced sight, it wouldn't be hard to miss, it was huge! "Yeah, sure, ready, set, go," I said, and started to jog.

_**Wow, I haven't done this in a long time. I can actually be myself around 'im, and not what I pretend to be to everyone else. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be happy around another humanoid. Then again, he doesn't know about…no! I won't think about it! I wanna be happy for at least this once. This once, when I think I've found someone I **__**can**__** be happy with, even after…**_ While I was having this mental debate to see if I was going to be a good girl or not, Brin had passed me! _**Dang, the boy's fast! I was goin' easy on 'im, but now he's past me, an' I actually gotta run after 'im!**_ (I still won, though.)

"I win," I say, breathless, for once. "Wow it's huge!" It was a big, old Canadian fir, and I mean _**big**_! I could've had two of me wrap my arms around the tree, and our fingers still wouldn't have touched! It was a great climbing tree, too, with lots of branches to scramble up.

"Yeah, this time," he said with a grin. I think that his grin is a version of a smile… "Hey, follow me, there's something really cool over here, not even my dad knows about this, and he practically lives in his lab, it's about 100 meters that way," he said, waving his hand to the right, where I could just make out a faint trail of footprints that said Brin came here a lot. As he spoke, he walked around to the left of the tree. I saw a small opening, barely big enough for a rabbit, near the tree roots, but nothing that was cause of his excitement.

"A rabbit hole," I blurted, stupidly. He turned to me and smiled.

"Not just a rabbit hole, Marine, watch very closely, otherwise you might miss it." And he was right, if I hadn't been paying attention to the rabbit hole, then I would've missed what happened next.

"By Tor and Fenrir's womb, let us come in, Darkshade," he said as he crouched down beside the hole. The tree sounded like it was groaning, and the roots appeared to move apart, as a crack starting from the rabbit hole continued up the trunk till it was just above his head. Brin rose and twisted around, smiled, and pushed me into the cavern that I'd only caught a glimpse of before I stumbled inside.

When my eyes adjust to the dim lighting leaking in from the rabbit hole, as well as bird holes that were all along the trunk, I see a whole pack of wolves. They were all lying down on the leaf covered ground, and I saw some up on natural caverns that were carved out from the inside of some of the bigger tree branches.

One of the wolves, a great big black one, leapt down from a cave to my right and padded over to me. I went on all fours, and my humanoid ears grew longer so I was able to press them against my head. I lowered my head so that my face was turned up to the wolves' and was near his chest, and I whimpered deep down in my throat, which was a submissive sign.

"Dang, girl, you really do know your wolves. The first time I came in here, Darkshade pounced on me, and held me to the floor, growling his head off. Gave me the shock of my life," Brin said, extremely impressed.

"I learned from personal experience, they had a lotta wolf packs back home," I replied, my voice strong and sure, but I didn't turn my head away from… Darkshade, apparently.

The wolf lowered his head so he was staring me right in the eye, and said, "You don't have to do that, Nightfang."

I was so shocked, I bolted upright, and sputtered, "Y-y-you know my name! A-a-and English!" I looked at Brin, who was chuckling quietly at my reaction.

"Stories of your deeds of helping our fellow packs back in Canada have reached my ears, and I made sure that I knew who you were, so I could thank you properly," Darkshade replied, chuckling as well.

I looked back to Brin, who had a mixture of curiosity, shock, and… was that amusement in his eyes? I then told him about my… extended life factor, I suppose you'd call it, as well as my morphing abilities, in case I…lost control of myself. I also told him that I'd lived alone with a pack of wolves for a while, and was accepted into their pack. I don't know why I was so openly honest with him. Thankfully, he had enough sense not to ask why I'd been by myself.

"So now that you know that I'm more animal than human…will you run away? Or will you look past the beast to see what or who I really am? I really hope you'll stay… 'Cause…I…I…I like you. A lot." The last part came out in a rush, and, this time, I was the one who was blushing. Well, my hair turned red…ish…it was more like pink…but still!

"I'll stay," he said grinning. "And…I…like you too…a lot," his grin got even wider.

"Ok, now you're just making fun of me," I say, laughing. I padded over to him, and looked up. He knelt down and started to scratch behind my ears. _**Wait… padding over to him? Him kneeling down to scratch my ears?**_

"Aww, crap." I had morphed into my wolf form and I was wagging my tail. Happily. He laughed and I swear, the sunlight in the room got brighter, and said, "I think you're cute as a wolf."

My fur got a reddish tinge to it and he continued smiling, "So… Is your hair/fur turning a different color your version of blushing?"

"Is your grinning like your version of a smile?" I retorted back, when I'd morphed back into a human, with one hand on my hip, staring down at him teasingly. The pack around us started barking and yipping and some of them even started to howl.

"Hey, how come no one's heard or found this?" I asked when he got to his feet.

"The tree, it's made so no one can hear anything unless they utter the password, and the entrance is one big illusion, so if you walked into the entrance, you'd be in here, and-" Brin started explaining hurriedly.

Darkshade interrupted at that, "-you don't think I'd let anyone go and tattle, now do you?" When he finished speaking, he grinned, showing all his teeth. He had really sharp canines…

"Huh, cool," was all I said.

"Very," Brin said.

After a few hours of playing, wrestling, and running with the pack, Brin drove me home.

"So I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he asked as he walked me to the entryway.

I smiled at him and replied, "Only if you come to the bar, I gotta work overtime tomorrow 'cause of you."

He chuckled, and leaned down and kissed me. The kiss was gentle and sweet, and short, since my boss came out to see what was taking so long. He guffawed again, reminding me even more of my brother, and said good naturally, "You better let her come inside to work, boy, otherwise she'll never come back in." He guffawed once more, and walked over to yell at some customers who were making idiots of themselves.

Brin leaned back, bowed deeply (which would've looked extremely stupid if anyone else had done it), and said teasingly, "Later, Wolf Girl."

I smiled and said, "Later Wolf Boy."

Over the next few days, I got to know him better, met his dad (or at least, what he'd acted like), and continued to date him. He was everything Logan wasn't, and he made me extremely happy. Until he died. He was messing around up on the roof of the house he shared with his dad and he fell. I watched him fall three stories, and down onto the hard-packed dirt ground below. I was too late to catch him. I heard him screaming until his body hit the ground, where it lay there. Broken. Like my heart.

**End Flashback-**

So I learn what his father truly is (EVIL!) and… … Oh, just read The Prologue again, please, I hate repeating myself.

* * *

Marie- This chapter always makes me depressed...

MN- Oh, Marie, cheer up! It'll get better, you'll see!

Marie- Yeah, whatever. *Walks out my office to her bedroom and slams the door.*

MN- Now who's gunna do the disclaimer?

Mar- *Sigh* I'll do it. Marie Nightfang does not own Legion of Superheroes, blah, blah, blah. Do I have to say anything else?

MN- No, Mar, you don't, now shoo! Out of my office! I have to write the next chapter. Shoo! This is Marie Nightfang, signing off!


	3. Chapter 2

MN- Before we start, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Legion22, who left my first review. You rock!

* * *

Marie's Memories

Chapter Two

So, back to the present. As I'm running I hear a voice in my head, urging me to go back and finish the job. _**No! I **__**won't**__** go back to what I was on my home planet. I just found my humanity again.**_ I jumped over a fallen log, startling a rabbit. I thought of chasing it, but then remembered Londo was chasing after me. So, I sped up and made a decision. _**I'll go to the Pack, see if they can help, even if it's just a little.**_

I sprint through the woods, dodging trees that block my flight, and letting branches whip across my furry face, down the path that had become so familiar to me. I ran up to the Canadian fir and growled in a rush, "By Tor and Fenrir's womb open up! Please let me in now, Darkshade!" I stumbled into the cavern as the entrance widened, and squeezed my way in. The Pack wouldn't let me through; my scent was unfamiliar to them now, so I concentrated on my human self. Slowly, very slowly, I shrunk down to my 5 foot 5 inches as my claws softened and became nails, my ears became a normal length, if a little pointed, my fangs shrank and turned into the blunt human teeth I normally had except for my canines, which were longer than a normal humanoid, my eyes turned their normal forest green, if a bit darker, and my fur finally receded. As the Pack caught my familiar scent and my grief, they let me through so I could talk to their Alpha.

I ran over to Darkshade and hugged him, my eyes wet, but I couldn't cry. I had never been able to cry, not even when I was betrayed by someone I had loved…

"Brin's dead, Darkshade! He's dead, and Mar's evil, and I don't know what to do!" I wailed, burying my head into his chest fur, twining my hands in his soft, black and gray-speckled fur.

"What?" Darkshade asked, astonished. "How could this be?" He lowered his head onto my shoulder, ears pressed back, tail lowered, and I felt the vibrations in his chest when he whimpered.

"He…was doing some stunts on the rooftop, and…he fell," I whispered, my voice muffled by his fur.

A tan she-wolf yelped in surprise and looked over to a silver wolf by her side, whispering something urgent. The silver wolf nodded and padded up to me.

"We, as in Dawnpelt and I, believe Brin is alive. Dawnpelt is my mate, and she is very intuitive. She does not believe Brin would die from something as stupid as falling off the roof of his house." The silver wolf rubbed his head against my shoulder and whispered, "You still have time to find him…"

At this, I stood up and let the gold in my eyes expanded, so they were pure gold, and I transformed in a millisecond to a huge, black wolf. I glance over to Darkshade and as he nodded, I knew that he too believed Brin to be alive. They had been through a whole lot of shit together. Brin had been there when Darkshade's mate and unborn pups had died. Darkshade had been there when Brin had run from his house when he heard his mom had died, and his older brother had disappeared and was believed to be dead. I thank him mentally, and run out of the fir, avoiding the area I'd left Londo in. Brin's woodsy, masculine smell was strong in my nose. I ran in circles, following it.

**Following…**

**Following…**

A month later:

I sulk into the bar after a restless night of trying to find Brin, with nothing so much as a strand of hair. I trudge to the counter and start polishing a wine glass. Bob comes out and eyes me. I glare at him, and he slips back into his office. I'd seen that look far too much in the past month. It was pity.

I was interrupted by one of the fellow waitresses walking over to me, looking pissed.

"Marine, can you handle the guy sitting at table twelve? I've got to meet someone, and my shift is almost over..." I agreed reluctantly, ignored the 'thank you,' put on my apron and grabbed my order book on the way to the table I had been assigned to.

"Hello, sir, my name's Marine, and I'll be your waitress for today. What would you like to order?" I ask quietly.

"Sorry, what was that? I didn't catch it," he says, sneering.

_**Oh, great. JUST what I need, another smart-ass.**_

"I asked you what you wanted!" I snap at him, then remember what Bob always ridiculed, _**Respect the customers, Marine. **_I sigh, waiting for his response.

"Hmm…what do I want?" he murmurs, looking at my face and chest, a slight grin on his face.

"Do you want a drink or not?" I ask, now pissed.

"Yes," he grins again.

"You're pushing my patience, bub. What. Do. You. Want. To. Drink?" I ask, my fangs growing, and my eyes flashing neon green.

"I'll have…Shochu," he says, glancing at the menu.

"Is that all?" I ask.

"Mmm…unless you're selling."

I growl low in my throat and snap the order book shut, turning around abruptly. I went back to the bar and got his Shochu. I went back to his table and gave him his drink.

"Anything to eat?" I ask, my tone clipped. He didn't answer, so I took that as my cue and went to another table.

"Hello, my name's Marine, I'm really sorry for the wait, folks-" I was interrupted by someone's hands twinning around my waist.

"I never said what I wanted to eat…" he whispered in my ear, his tongue flicking on the outside of my ear. I stiffened when one of his hands traveled up to my chest while the other moved to my crotch.

The drink I had been about to hand to one of the customers was crushed in my hand, and I growled, "Get the fuck off me," ignoring the glass shards that had dug into my hand.

"Aww, come on. Don't be like that…" he whispered huskily, his tongue once again flicking my ear, and his hands continuing along my body. I flipped my tray over my shoulder, shoving it in his face. His hands retreated and wiped the food off his face as he backed up a few steps. He glared at me, and then rushed me. I used my uninjured hand to volt over the table, and dash towards the door. I knew who this guy was. He was one of the Science Police, and even though he didn't recognize me, one of his colleges might. Someone grabbed my wrist and twisted me around, but I was ready. I used the momentum to put more power in my fist and I punched the ass right in the jaw, shattering it. He was blown back, and crashed through the bar's wall, into an alley. I was breathing deeply, but I managed to snarl, "Get. Out."

My boss came out, took one look at the gaping hole in the wall, the lull in conversation, his customers staring wide-eyed at me, my rumpled clothes, the blood dripping down my fingers, the glass glinting in my hand, and said quietly,

"Marine? Why don't you go upstairs and take a break. I'll handle things down here." I nodded, and stormed upstairs, taking off my work apron and throwing it across my room, slamming the door. It was only after I'd taken a few swings at my punching bag taking deep breaths, trying not to cry out from my anger, that I realized my hand was still bleeding.

I sat down on my bed, and pulled the glass shards out of my hand. The pain from the glass distracted me from missing Brin, and I felt a little better. I watch as the bleeding stops, then forms scabs, then turns into a scar, before fading completely in a matter of seconds. I pick up most of the shards of glass, leaving the larger one, and toss them into the small wastebasket by my bedside. I look at the fragment, etched with grapes and vines, and hold it to the skin on the inside of my wrist questioningly. Before I could do anything, however, I hear a commotion outside and raise my head. I look out my window and see a giant…well…I'm not quite sure what to call it…a robot, I suppose.

Battling it is a group of two teenagers. I open my windows, and hop onto the ledge to get a better view, then sat down. I leaned against the window frame, one leg dangling in the air with the other pulled against my chest, and set my head on my knee. I see the nearest girl, a rather short teen with cropped blond hair fire electricity out of her fingertips. The giant robot thing-a-ma-jig's arm extends and almost whacked the girl on the back of her head, but another robot, a lot smaller than the other one and…purple…came in and blasted the hand away.

"Thanks Brainy!" the girl said.

"No prob, Tech," he replied.

"Timberwolf, care to finish 'im off?" the two teens asked thin air.

The smaller robot, apparently called Brainy, became a lot less bulky and looked a lot more humanish all of a sudden. His skin was green and half of his eye was purple and the other half was _pink, ugh._

The girl, apparently Tech, smiled sweetly to him.

All of a sudden, a wolf-like creature, mostly gray but had long, black hair with a white bang, jumped out of nowhere and kicked the evil robot's ass, as in, dismantling it. He looked sort of familiar…naw, just a trick of the light.

"Good one Timbie," the girl said mockingly.

The were-wolf like creature… Timbie… whatever the heck that was about… snarled. I was starting to like him more and more.

All of a sudden, Tech turned up to look at me.

"I noticed you've been staring. Who are you? Wait…Marie-Ann Elizabeth Rose Woods. Mutant with the ability of regeneration, canine transformation, super strength, and adimantium coated bones, including four claws that come out on top of her knuckles." What, was Londo selling this information off of the Internet now?

"No I just have a super computer in my head. Oh, and yes, I just read your mind. I also have the ability to control electricity. I… …" She continued on and on and on and on and on, but I didn't understand (or care) about a flippin' word she said. As she was talking, I stood up on the ledge and clambered down the two stories to the ground using the drain pipe. I landed next to the wolf-dude.

He turns to me, rolling his yellow eyes and half-smiles. "She does that a lot," he tells me and then adds, "I don't understand it either. Nor do I care…but that's another story. WAIT! Did Techna just say your name is Marie? Marie-Ann Woods?" He mashed 'Marie' and 'Ann' together so it sounded like Marian. I _hate_ it when people do that…

"Yeah, she did. What's it to ya?" I ask as I cross my arms over my chest.

"Dad told me you died!" he exclaims.

"Umm…dad?" I ask, confused.

"My name's Brin. Brin Londo."

I freeze. Then think, _**it's just a joke. The ass-hole.**_ "Ha, ha, very funny," I say, my voice dripping in sarcasm and barely-covered malice. I reach back, and punch the guy on his jaw. I hear a loud 'pop,' and step back satisfied for the moment. _**Two guys in one day. I'm on a roll.**_

Then the guy grabs his jaw and snaps it back in place!

"What the hell was that for, Marie?" he asks surprised. "I'm not lying to you Nightfang," he adds as an afterthought.

I look him full in the eye, and scream.

**And scream…**

**And scream…**

I wake up in a medical unit. After all I'd been through, that's not a very nice place to be…I pop out my claws and slash about.

"Hey, hey, hey! Watch it you unicellular amoeba!" a recognizable voice shrieked at me.

I turned my head to see the blonde girl staring at me like she wanted to bore holes through my head and tapping her foot in an irritated way.

"Umm… hi?" I mumble, putting my claws away.

"You could say you're sorry," she snaps.

"Oooooo-kay… sorry?" I say, not really meaning it. So what, I destroyed a computer.

"Mean it!" the girl demands, her voice dripping in malice. _**Whoa, when she told me she could read my mind earlier, she meant it!**_

"Yes, of course I did! Now tell me you're sorry!"

I could tell she was about to rip my head off and use it as a Mayan soccer ball, so I say, "Sorry! I really truly am! I swear on Tor and Fenrir!" trying to summon all the sincerity I could (which mind you, isn't very much.)

The girl sighs, appearing to ease off, but still had a lot of bitterness in her voice when she tells me, "I _**guess**_ that works…"

I was saved when Brin ran into the room. Or at least, whoever it was that told me he was Brin.

"Oh, he's Brin alright," the girl murmurs to me, then adds in a louder voice, "Yes, Timberwolf? Come to gloat?"

Apparently so. Timberwolf smiles wickedly and boasts, "I _**told**_ you she wouldn't like to wake up in your fancy-shmansy hospital wing. I _**told**_ you to drop her off in the Simulation room on forest mode, but noooooo, you had to take her here, Techna."

"Well, sorry, but I don't know everything in the multiverses _**quite**_ yet!" Techna crows, then mumbles under her breath, "Emphasis on the quite…"

Wow. She was full of herself.

Timberwolf smirks; I guess that was his version of a triumphant smile. _**Like my Brin…**_ I brush the thought away.

"'_I don't know everything quite yet,'_" Timberwolf mocks in a high-pitched squeaky voice.

Techna scrunches up her face like she just ate a sour lemon and I notice how neon-like her bright, lime green eyes were. All of a sudden, the lights started flickering. The smile I had been wearing vanishes and Brin hesitated for a fraction of a millisecond before widening his grin.

"Trying to scare me off, are ya Techy?" he taunts.

"Don't push it fur ball!" she hissed back. I could almost see tendrils of electricity peeling off of her frame.

Electricity.

All of a sudden, my mind went blank.

I was in a white room, my eyes adjusting to the light all too well. There were cages all around. A lumpy bed like the kind in hospital staged in the middle of the lab. The only difference on the bed was there were clamps like handcuffs where my wrists, ankles, waist, and neck would go, if I were forced to lie down on it.

I shuddered and my mind went blank again, this time black. Surrounding me, all around, was blackness more dark than pitch black. It was dead. Dead black.

I wake up in a better, more inviting environment.

I was surrounded by trees of all different sorts; pines, oaks, sycamores, even redwoods. There was a thick haze of fog hovering over the damp leaf covered ground. I take in a deep breath through my nose and my eyes shoot open as wide as they would go.

The smell of deer was strong in the air.

I follow the scent and found a lone buck in a clearing, chewing on some grass. I smile, exposing my sharp canines. I lower myself until my knees were bent slightly forward, my spine parallel to the ground. I put my arms at my side and arch my elbows somewhat and circle around to the back of the animal.

I creep slowly forward. Step by step I get closer, the smell of the warm metallic blood and fresh raw meat a fire in my nostrils. I pounce…

And fall flat on my face.

I look up to see my surroundings digitalizing. I was in a giant room of metal. The Simulation room. Ugh. I glare at Techna through the top window…she really knew how to piss me off!

Techna smiled in a sickly sweet way and said thru the intercom, "No offense… I did it to Brin yesterday and he didn't think it was funny, so I wanted to prove a point."

I snarled and heard laughter. I turned and saw 'Brin' literally _**ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING**_! Screw him…the absolute ass…the absolute florging ass!

Techna laughed. _**DAMN IT WOMAN! OUT OF MY HEAD!**_

"Sorry," she answered, and I didn't need a florging super-computer in my head to know that she didn't florgin' mean it.

"Sure, sure!" I mumble, rolling my eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, you florging dog! Although technically you are… It is not meant to be a florging compliment you non-nucleisis … …" she ranted on and on and on and on and on and on and on, probably cussing me out, but I couldn't understand a _**darn**_ word she florgin' said…so I flicked her off. (In Italian!)

**Yes. You will never live that down Marie-Ann Elizabeth Rose Woods…LONDO!**

SHUT THE FLORGIN' HECK UP! And stop hacking into my computer! MY STORY NOT YOURS! And don't you EVER say my full name, you know I hate it! And I'm not marrying him! Telani Charol Naiya…Nayai…Nayada…DAMN IT! HOW DO YOU SPELL YOUR LAST NAME?

**I'm not telling!**

Whatever, just _stay__out__of__my__computer_!

Anyways…

As I start to storm out of the simulation room, I switch direction, walk over to Timberwolf, bring my fist back, and punch a Timberwolf-sized crater into the wall a couple of milliliters from his head. I then walk out of the room without taking one look behind me.

"Wow, she really does have super strength…" I heard him say, incredulously, as the door automatically slides shut.

* * *

Marie- Yay! Brin! You're back! *Glomp*

Brin- Yes, Marie, I'm back. Now will you stop squeezing the life out of me? I...can't...breathe...

Marie- Oops, sorry, Brin.

MN- Well...who's going to do my disclaimer? ...No volunteers? Fine, then...Brin! Do the disclaimer!

Brin- Whatever...Marie Nightfang doesn't own Legion of Superheroes, DC rightfully does. But, she does own this storyline and Tech & Marie, and-

Marie- *Kisses Brin* You babble too much.

Brin- I do no-

Marie- *Kisses Brin again*

Brin- Ok, maybe a little...*Kisses Marie*

MN- Oh, come on, you two! Get a room!

Brin- *Picks Marie up bridal-style and carries her into her room*

MN- *Sweat-drop* ... ...Well...while Marie and Brin are...occupied...this is Marie Nightfang, signing off!


	4. Chapter 3

Marie's Memories

Chapter Three

I close my eyes and focus on the present. The feeling of the brush running through my hair, of it being lifted and dropped. I didn't focus on the future. I open my eyes and look in the mirror at the petite blonde fixing my hair into an up-do.

"Try. At least _**try**_," Techna says, "to be happy."

"It's a dance! I have to wear a dress!" I complain as she slid two black chopsticks into my hair. I watch the light glint off the silver chain suspending two rubies and two garnets from the top of the sticks.

"Admit it. I'm a pretty good seamstress," Techna says smugly.

I tilt my head down as she fiddled with the rebellious locks of hair. I trace the crimson velvet design on my black silk dress with the tip of my finger. I flex my toes inside the boots I was wearing and sigh, shifting the fabric that made my off-the-shoulder sleeves.

"I won't say it aloud. But at least it's not pink. Or short. Or frilly. Or lacy. Or uncomfortable."

"OOOH! I think that was a compliment!" I smile at Tech's expression. The wistful look with a cat grin. She wasn't half-bad. "Thank you," she mused, half to herself.

Let me back up a bit. I did not want to go to the dance, but since Techie would force me, I'm going.

**Plus, Brin asked you. You just could **_**not**_** say no!**

Out of my computer, Techna!

**Hey, that was so nice, I just might comply!**

Anyways…yeah. Brin asked me to the prom. Ugh, I hate that word. HATE it! Then again, it's not as bad as some other words, but still. There's one word in particular I hate that I will **not** mention in this story.

**Fiancé.**

GRRR! I told you to get out of my computer, woman!

Yes, I hate that word! Moving on.

Okay, it started like this…

**Flashback-**

"Look at this, Marie!" Techna shoved a flyer in my face.

"What?" I asked, peeling away the page and reading it. I stared open-mouthed at the words on the paper:

Come join us at this year's

annual…

Legion

Prom!

Come to this white tie event, serving food and beverages.

Dance away from 9 P.M. to 3 A.M. next week in the SimRoom!

"No." It was one word and one word alone to describe the utter horror I felt. I hated dances. My mother had forced me to take lessons as a child and I did _**not**_ want to participate.

"I will force you, you know that, right?" Techna reminded me.

"Yeah, but still! Do I have to go?" I whined.

"The leaflet is only to tell the time and place of the event. Everyone is not only compulsory, but anticipated to go."

"In English, please," I rolled my eyes.

"The flyer tells you where to be. You are not only enforced to go; you're expected to go."

"Thank you for the simplification," I said sarcastically.

"You are such an exasperating blemished brat, you unappreciative ingrate!" she started shouting at the top of her lungs.

"What?" I asked, yawning in a bored fashion.

"AAAAHHH!" Techna screamed, lightning ricocheting from her body. I flinched as I realized what I'd done. "You are such a moron! You must be mentally retarded! You do _**not **_- **do** _**not**_- piss me off!" she shrieked at me. I cringed back as electricity flew off of her, all of my hair standing on end.

"What's going on here?" I heard Lightning Lad's voice faintly. I realized just how loud the sound of her sparks was. "Techna, withdraw!"

"Withdraw? You're just as much a buffoon as she!" Techna hollered. I could here her penetrating voice above the crackling and zinging of the volts. "Withdraw means take out. If you want me to take out, I will happily oblige by taking you two out of this realm of being!"

Okay, she'd gone insane. She really had. She was talking more spiritually and less scientify. Scientify? Whatever. Deal with it.

"Techna 1.0. Impede!" I heard another voice clearly, yet couldn't place it because I was focusing on the voltage nearing my face. It caged me in. It was above me, to my left and right. I'd backed against a wall and couldn't move, no matter how I tried. My mind raced, like I was searching through every thought I'd ever had. No; _**I**_ wasn't-Techna was.

All of a sudden the lights died, the room stopped gleaming green. Techna's eyes narrowed like she was tired and she collapsed on the floor.

"Impede?" Garth asked Brainy.

"It means to obstruct, hinder, slow down, et cetera," he explained.

I stared down menacingly at Techna's crumpled body. Fear and anger raced through me. I wanted to ring her neck. I wanted to tear her flesh from her bone. I wanted to torment her and make her feel pain. I wanted to jab at her and skewer her. But the only thing stopping me was the memory of Brin's father, now fresh in my mind from being gone through. If I tortured Techna, that would make me just as good as Mar. I couldn't - wouldn't - let that happen. Ever.

So I ran.

I ran to the rooftop garden. It was a forest of all the plant species from every planet in the UP plus some from planets that the Legion had visited on missions. I ran to the part with the Canadian plants and scaled a boulder, curling up into the fetal position and rocking back and forth, fighting back the mental pain from my uprooted memories.

I didn't do this. Not even from my own memories. So what was making me bite my lips now? Something else was in my head. I closed my eyes and racked my brain. I found something strange. Some sort of ringing noise. Not quite a headache, but…I thought harder and all of a sudden, I opened my eyes to a different scene than I was just in.

I was in a car, in the passenger seat up front. I hate cars, yet this me in the car wasn't afraid, or cooped up at all.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled as I watched two blonde twins fighting over a toy. The one to the right was a girl with shoulder length hair; her eyes were a beautiful green shade. Her brother was to my left, with hair that was cropped short and gelled into spikes on the top of his head. His eyes matched his twin's.

I turned my head to see the driver, a middle-aged woman with waist-length gold hair. It had streaks of light brown in it, almost as if they were highlights. Her eyes were a crystalline blue. She was wearing a red dress. A beautiful strapless silk dress that fell to her ankles and had long gloves that hooked to her middle finger.

"Mom, where are we going?" I found myself asking. My voice wasn't mine, yet it was so familiar.

"I'm not sure, sweetie. But, we have to get away quickly," the woman rushed the sentence, as if she was upset.

"Momma? Are you scared?" I saw the girl leaning forward after having lost the toy to her brother, holding onto the seat.

"Yes, honey. Mommy's very scared right now."

"What's wrong?" the two twins asked in unison.

"Your father has been a very bad man. That's all," she rushed.

"It's okay Val. Nothing going to happen to you. Not while I'm around," I reached out and ruffled the girl's hair.

"What about me?" whimpered the little boy.

"You'll be okay too, Ree. We all will," I assured.

"Adrian, Valerie, buckle your seat belts," their mother scolded.

"Mom, what's happening?" I asked as the car started accelerating.

"Nothing," her eyes darted to the mirrors on the side of the car. I looked out at the open space and at first didn't see the SunTruk zooming towards us.

SunTruk's collect energy from the sun and store them in tanks to transport them to different systems. Having one following you and gaining is not a good sign.

"HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!" the woman shouted.

All of a sudden, the SunTruk whirred ahead and sharply turned in front of us. I unbuckled my seat belt and tried to protect Ree and Val with my body, but it was too late. The cars collided and everything blew up.

The next thing I knew, I was in a surgical tank. I stared at a young boy. He was a robot, so familiar. I stared into his eyes. The unique, multicolored eyes of Brainiac 5.

I gasped as Techna shook me awake.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I have no idea what happened. Brainy had a look at me while I was unconscious and found a bug. I get those every now and then. Apparently, my creators never finished me because I was a mistake."

I listened to her voice carefully and asked her, "Do you have siblings?"

Her gaze fell and seemed to darken a shade or two. Then I was sure of it. "I used to."

"Valerie and Adrian," I said.

The memory I'd just witnessed was Techna's.

A few days later:

"Behind you!" Techna and I shouted at each other. I leaped forward, brandishing my fists as she ducked low and fired off lightning from her fingers. I collided with the android behind her as she zapped the monster behind me.

We both straightened up in triumph, brushing off our clothes.

"Good job, Wolfsbane!" she congratulated me.

"Haven't even broken a sweat!" I boasted.

"Too bad our opponents can't say the same," we laughed as we looked down at Brainy and Brin.

"Yeah, _**too bad**_," I stage-whispered sarcastically.

We laughed and helped the boys up.

"Today's lesson took exactly 1 minute and 17 seconds. That's 15 seconds more than previous lessons," Brainy calculated.

"Maybe, but you can hardly call these lessons anymore. If you guys hadn't been using your stealth belts, we'd have beaten your butts in no time," Techna was getting pretty good at simplifying her speech. Brainy still needs work.

"Set your phasers on stun, next time, Tech," Brin said, getting up and cracking his neck and back several times.

"You're a big boy. I thought you could handle it," she taunted.

"You need to stop hanging out with Marie if that's how your attitude's gonna be like!" he responded, chuckling slightly as we walked out of the Sim Room.

"What's this? Are you afraid I'll beat you in a mouthing-off contest?" Techna teased.

"No!" Brin retaliated.

We all stayed in silence for a while until finally I spoke up, "And yet you don't challenge her?"

"Well, I'm not in the mood."

"Reeeallly?" Techna and I questioned at the same time, looking at each other with sarcastic expressions.

"Hey, I've been looking for you guys all over!" Salu ran up to us and tugged on Brainy's arm, causing recoil from Techna.

"What's wrong, Violet?" she asked, trying to direct her attention away from him.

"Emergency in the lab! Nura needs help with containment!"

"Oh, goodness! What'd she do now?" Techna asked with hardly any emotion in her voice. Although I might have detected some annoyance. She activated her flight ring and flew off towards the lab.

"Thank Fenrir," Brin mumbled after Brainy followed the girls down the hall.

"Hmn?" I asked, turning my head towards him.

"Well, I was wondering if I mean, not that I want to go, or anything, but since we're forced to not that I don't want to be with you or anything I mean, dances are weird uh, unless you like them…" he paused and took a deep breath and said calmly, "Will you go to the dance with me?"

"Sure, I guess, I mean since we have to go anyways I might as well go with you that's not what I meant! It's not that I don't wanna go with you or wanna go with someone else, but I mean, it's a dance and all and…" I stopped myself from further humiliation and calmed down a bit. "I still like you."

"I still like you too," Brin said, turning my head up and leaning in. Right before his lips brushed mine, we heard a scream.

"Guys, come on, let's go help out!" I heard Chameleon Boy turning the corner and pushed myself away from Brin to avoid unwanted questions.

"What happened?" I asked, my ears still pressed against my head and the roots of my hair still magenta, while we ran along the hall to keep up with Cham's flight ring.

"Nura's experiment didn't go too well? I don't know! Let's just go fight something!" Reep was so blunt sometimes. But I liked that about him.

We ran into the lab to see Nura unconscious on the floor with Salu sprawled across the ground, clutching her leg. Phantom Girl was staring at the giant glob monster with an open mouth. She must've been the one who'd screamed. I saw a purple hexagonal bubble around the monster that must've been Brainy trying to contain it.

The thing that was most amusing to me, though, was the small girl curled in a ball inside the blob thingy.

"Well, Tech. We've got ourselves in a tight situation, haven't w—" my tormenting was cut short by an explosion of goo.

I was drenched in the smelly stuff. My nose curled as I sneezed and gagged, getting the acidic substance out of my mouth.

"You have no _**idea**_ how uncomfortable that was for me," Techna scolded Nura, lifting her from the ground.

"Wow, thanks Techie," she said breathlessly.

"Don't," Techna's eyes were wide open and cold, "call me Techie."

"Owch! Crash and burn!" Brin and I snickered.

End Flashback-

The next few days flew by pretty fast. Can't say that was good, though, 'cause now here I am getting my hair all nice and pretty.

"Cheer up! It's not that bad," Techna said, brushing her fingers through my hair.

"Not so bad, no, but still pretty bad." I sighed, impatient. "Are you done with my hair yet?" I grumbled, my eyes still closed. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Techna groan in exasperation.

"Shut up, okay? I've had enough of this!" she told me sternly, a hint of playfulness, but mostly malice...which emotion was she? I can never tell with Tech cause she doesn't have a scent...

'**Duh! There's a good reason behind that'**

I'm warning you, woman...!

'**I'm gone!' **

"Yeah, yeah... but are you done?" I asked again as I traced the red pattern on my black silk dress, and squirmed my toes in the boots I was wearing. I smiled evilly at the irritated sigh I received as an answer to that question. I started humming a heavy metal song and in return received a tight yank on my captive hair. "Hey!" I exclaimed in pain.

"Sorry...my bad," Techna responded coyly, smiling in satisfaction.

"Are you done?" I asked for the third time. "And before you zap me, you never answered, so, nya." I stuck my tongue out, knowing she could see it in the mirror.

And yet a zap I got. "Yowelp!" I squeak-yelped. Yeah, I know it's a weird sound. Shut it. "I am seriously gunna hurt you!" I moaned, rubbing my neck.

"And I'm going to maim you eventually if you continue to bombard me with such undignified, amazingly primitive jabber!" she droned in response.

"In English?" I asked in patronizing uncaringness.

"You're being a butt," she told me bluntly.

I sighed, grinning slightly, and wiggled in my chair. "I still can't believe I'm going...in a dress…" I moaned. Have I mentioned I hate parties? Yes? Well, I do.

"Grow up. You're playing with the big girls now, so you'll have to dress like them, and act like them, and all that fun stuff!" Okay. That was annoying. She was talking to me like I was some kindergartener and she was my teacher...or worse...my mom.

**'Oh, admit it. You deserved it at that moment!'**

I swear...

'**Gone!'**

"Whoop- tee- florgin'- doo. So. What're you gunna wear?" I asked.

After the pause, I turned to face her, feeling her hands drop from my now -presumably- finished hair. Her cheeks had flushed a comely shade of rose, and her eyelashes were lowered over her neon irises, making them look like sparkling emeralds. I myself wasn't too partial about sparkly things, but...well...anyways. When she continued to remain silent, I poked her cheek, causing her to grin slightly and look me in the eyes. "Well?" I asked, curious.

"You'll see," she answered sweetly and smoothly.

"Aww, come on! You get to see me all dolled up! The least you could do is show me what you're wearing. We could walk in together, and watch all the guys slobber over us…" I teased, running a finger through one of the rips that went up to my mid- thigh on either side of the dress.

"Hush up and look at ya dolled up hair, dawlin'," she instructed me, taking on an accent so 'primitive' that it must have taken a whole bunch of power and mustered courage to even bother. I had to laugh. And, still shaking from the thrill, I looked over to the mirror and caught my breath. My hair was a light amber, the color of fireweed honey. It was pulled back into a neat bun, symmetrical in all shape and form, with two black chopsticks protruding from either side, not disturbing a single strand of hair. Two locks framed my face, curled ever so gently, so they had a gentle slope spiraling downward. I turned my head slightly and light caught the rubies and garnets dangling from the utensils in the bun, casting a gory red hue upon my bare chest, which brought my gaze down to realize the color theme had all originated from my bloodstone necklace, now outlined in intricately designed black iron.

"Damn…" I whispered. "I look..._Damn_," I said again. I turned around abruptly, honestly hoping I wouldn't send my hair into a tangled tumble, but Tech suddenly wasn't there. I swear I saw her smiling at me just two seconds earlier in the mirror, but...now she was simply...poof.

I sighed. "What? Do I have to walk there all by myself?" I asked no one in particular. And so, since no one answered, much to my surprise, I exited the room and wandered down the halls like the fail ninja I was, hiding behind every pillar and avoiding people in general. And then it happened.

"Marie?" an astonished voice asked. Not Brin, thank Fenrir, but Brainy. I flinched and almost fell flat on my face. I knew my topaz hair had turned a shade or two more towards the gemstones decorating it.

"Dammit! Stupid dress…good grief, Brainy, did you have to sneak up on me like that?" I turned around, irritated, and saw he had dressed up as well.

Not just dressed up, but he went the whole ten miles! His hair wasn't combed back neatly, but still had the same general effect, I don't know how...or even care. Maybe he jelled the spikes in am orderly fashion; I don't know, I don't care. His suit was the old fashioned black tux with a white shirt, black pants, black jacket, black shoes, black bow, but the black all had an odd glow to it and I finally realized that it was more of a raven feather black. When the light hit it just right, it brought out other colors, like green, pink, and purple. I whistled. If not just to annoy him, then because I actually thought he looked nice. After a 'Really, Marie?' look that reminded me a lot of Techna, Brainy explained in a Techie way, "Well, I saw the natural aversion to people added with a skirt and had to investigate the outcome of the equation."

I snorted. "It's a dress, smart-ass." To his incredulous look, I said, "Even though I might not have any schooling what-so-ever, I can still understand you, just as long as you don't throw in any crap about a high-school-level theory of some sort. Just, do me a favor, and don't you DARE tell Tech, or there will be hell to pay." My eyes glinted and his eyes widened.

"Well, someone's in a good mood," he mused, and I'm not sure whether he meant it or not...anyways, he walked up and looked at me from all angles, making me feel exposed and vulnerable.

"Can I...HELP you?" I asked, annoyed.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Did you buy that dress?"

"No...Tech made it."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Where is she?"

I sighed. "Who knows? Last time I saw her, she was getting ready." With a mischievous glint in my eyes, I continued, "Why don't you go get her, and walk her down here...I'm sure she'd love it." I grinned at the look on Brainy's face. His eyes widened and he looked at me with his mouth slightly open, like he was about to say something but thought better of it. Even if he couldn't blush, I could tell he was embarrassed about something.

"Umm…" I could see the stress on his face, that suddenly disappeared as he must've decided to forget my shrewd comment as he asked nervously, "Do you know what she's wearing? I mean...what color...er...um. ..I mean...is she wearing a dress or...is she...you can stop me any time, you know…"

I raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what she's wearing...why don't you go find out?" I asked, as I pushed him towards Tech and my dorm.

Brainy slapped my hand away, his face abruptly stone cold. "Stop. Just stop." I swear I heard a door slide shut just then and footsteps retreating, but I didn't bother to follow in pursuit.

_**What was his problem**__..._ I wondered, still avoiding people as I got closer to the...p...r...o...m...there, I said it.

We walked in silence for a bit before Brainy suddenly lit up. I could practically see the light bulb above his head.

"Oh, yeah...Brin wanted me to give you this…" he held out a note.

_**Oh boy, a note.**_ I practically grabbed it from his hands and opened it.

'Marie. I'm praying to Fenrir you're dressed up. I swear on my grave, if I'm the only one, every single person in this stupid room is going to die a slow and painful death...well, no pressure. - Brin'

My eyebrows raised and I laughed, looking for him in the room. I was hiding partially behind Brainy.

"No way," I breathed, seeing a familiar petite silhouette hidden in the shadows of many looming columns. I watched with intense interest as on foot and leg emerged, casting off a diamond-like glow, smooth and pale as milk, and encased in what looked to be a pure ruby slipper. Not quite a stiletto, and yet too formal to be classified as a sandal. Next was the rest of the skirt, the same rouge as the shoe, and ten times as amazing. There must have been five layers collected together, mesh, cotton, bamboo, all topped with smooth, unbroken silk flowing down her form like a waterfall. At the waist, the fabric tapered off at either side, gathering together. The dim lighting cast an almost eerie shadow about the folds of her gown, the top of which was the most astonishing. It seemed to cling to her pale skin, twining in and out in a Celtic-looking knot work around her chest, combining to a thick strand that looped around her shoulder, falling slightly past it, and meshing together around the back, traveling up to her neck and forming a collar adorned with gems I couldn't quite see from my vantage point. When she turned to see someone calling her name, I saw the low cut of the back of the dress and how it pooled together near her tailbone. I also saw the bouncing curls of the up-do her golden hair had been neatly arranged into. I never noticed the platinum highlights before, but now they were set in an almost laurel wreath design along the sides of her head. Her eyes stood out among everyone else; those sparkling emerald eyes...the living porcelain doll stepped farther into the center of the vast room and it was so hard to believe...that it was Techna

"I feel under-dressed…" I murmured to Brainy, who was, quite obviously, drooling over Techna.

"Just a little," Brainy agreed sarcastically.

I sighed. _**Oh, great. Now I've taught the robot sarcasm. **_After getting over the shock of Techna's appearance, I looked around for another familiar face and found one almost immediately. I would've laughed from his expression, but considering he was MY boyfriend staring at MY best friend, and not ME, I was kinda ticked.

"Ahem," I said curtly once I'd made my way to Tuxedo-Brin. He flinched and almost fell flat on his face.

"Stupid slacks…" he muttered under his breath. Deja vu much? "Fenrir, don't scare me like tha-a-a-" he froze and stared at me. "Damn...you look...damn." Jeez, would he ever stop repeating exactly what I say? I don't feel like I'm my own person! Sheesh!

Although, I still couldn't help but smile at his expression, and reached a hand to brush away some stray hair, trailing my fingertips on his face. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He blushed and I finally noticed what had been tugging at the back of my mind. He wasn't furry. He was normal. Sure, he was wearing a tux, but other than THAT he was normal! He was Brin again and not the Wolfman! (Not saying I didn't like the Wolfman, just...) "Brin…" I breathed, and he automatically knew what I meant.

"Techna. Inducer."

"Holy…_shit_" I breathed. Brin looked down into my eyes with his deep brown ones and I found myself lost. We were back at the fir and together. Nothing could separate us. His arms slid around my waist and music began. The hush from Techna's appearance soon dissipated into a low murmur as couples twirled through the dance floor. I tightened my grip on Brin; nothing could tear me away from him now. He held me close and I felt the reassuring warmth of his breath on the top of my head.

I rested my face on his chest and just listened to his heartbeat while we danced. It was steady and strong, and kept me from stumbling. The beat to the song we were dancing to was the same rhythm as his heart.

* * *

Marie- I still can't believe you made the Legion have a Prom...

Techna- See, this is why DC owns the Legion of Superheroes, and not Marie Nightfang.

MN- Mwahahahaha! Well, I have a major case of writer's block, so you probably won't hear from me for a while. Unless, of course, you leave a review and give me some ideas for the rest of the Prom... *hint, hint* Until next time, choa!


End file.
